What a Girl Wants
by Reilynn
Summary: As demanded by many on DA Reflections: Plotless fluff! Logan,s in the shower when the lights go out. He can,t see but Max can. Chapter 4 up. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

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Little something from DA Reflections board. I would like to thank so many people for their contribution. Maria656 for beta. Shywr1ter for clarifing Logan should be laid (not lay on the ground) and x318 for suggesting the soap. The full discussion is on the **The ECWS Sufferers Support Group** thread

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'Damn,' Logan said. Now was not the time for a brown out. He had hoped to get in a quick shower before Max showed up. At least dinner was probably cooked enough. The London broil might be a little on the rare side, but Max never complained. His whirlpool bath was luxurious, but the bathroom itself was now pitch black.

Logan turned off the water and reached out, hoping he had remembered to put a towel near the tub. He hadn't.

Grumbling to himself, he began to pull himself out of the tub when he slipped on a bar of soap that he couldn't see. He landed unceremoniously on the bathroom floor. He knew he knocked he wheelchair …somewhere. He let out a large frustrated sigh as he laid there on his back for some time, trying to decide what to do next. He couldn't feel the wheelchair from here, but how far could it have gone?

Max had heard Logan fall, but when she actually entered the bathroom to check on him, she wasn't sure what to do. Logan was so proud. He probably didn't want her help, but he might _need_ her help. She decided to just stay hidden in the darkness until she knew if he needed her or not.

Logan reached out from where he laid, searching in the blackness for …a towel? his chair? his clothes? Max felt a little guilty about just watching him struggle, but she told herself he wouldn't want her help. He wouldn't want her to see him like this, and that worked several ways. Although Max had to admit, she was enjoying seeing him like this. Eventually…Max had lost track of the time…he gave up. He let out a deep sigh and just laid there, staring at the ceiling. Max just stared at him. His legs hadn't begun to atrophy as badly as he thought. If not for the contrast with his muscular chest and arms, they would seem perfectly normal. She'd seen worse, but had she ever seen better? Max didn't think so. She briefly wondered if she was starting heat, but she was at least a month early for that, right? Right, she could control herself, this was Logan. Oh, god, was it Logan! In all his glory, although maybe not as much glory as he had once had, she thought sadly, he was still Logan. After Max was satisfied that the image of his nude prone body was seared into her genetically enhanced memory for all time, she decided to let him know he wasn't alone.

He heard the door open, but it was still pitch black.

"Logan? Are you alright?" Max said. Logan was surprised she was here so early; surprised that she was here in his bathroom.

"I am fine," Logan replied as he laid on the bathroom floor. He made no effort to cover his naked damp body, confident in the darkness's ability to hide him.

"I thought I heard you fall down," Max said.

"I did. It's OK." Logan just laid there … breathing. Tiny drops of water running down his body.

"Your chair's right here. Do you need it?" Max didn't really want him to move, conversely she really wanted him moving …Max shook her head to try and clear _those_ thoughts out of it. She _couldn't be in heat, right_?

"Yeah, thanks. I'm here by the tub," Logan replied thinking that she must have bumped into the chair.

Max takes the chair over to him. She has realized that he probably thinks that she can't see him and decides not to embarrass him so she reaches out her hand, groping in the darkness. When she touches his damp, naked flesh she runs her hand over his body as if getting an idea of where he is. She thinks she hears him gasp ever so slightly as her hand brushes over his left nipple. She enjoys running her hand through the light hairs on his chest. Her hand roams down his chest, beyond the range of his feeling, toward his …

"Max!" Logan calls out as he grabs her arm.

"I'm right here." She places his hand on his chair.

"Thank you. I'll be out in a minute." Logan replies as he stares in her general direction, seeing nothing. Logan feels around and sets the brakes on his wheelchair.

"'kay." Max watches in the dark as Logan strains his muscles to lift his body into the chair. She cannot resist, and doesn't want to. She grabs his ass and gives him a little bit of a boost to get smoothly into his chair on the first try. She lets her hands trail down his legs as he moves them onto the footrests. The feel of his damp naked flesh with just a little bit of hair…Max shakes her head softly and tells herself that she can't be in heat. Max reluctantly removes her hands as Logan repositions his legs on the footrests.

Logan finds a towel in the darkness and dries himself. Max's rapacious smile fades to a disappointed frown as he covers himself with the towel and starts to the bedroom. She quickly gets out of his way. Watching him from the shadow as he dresses is the naughtiest thing that she has done in months …and she loves it! The power of his arms as he lifts and strains …She feels so guilty as she stands there watching him struggle so much just to put on a pair of pants, when she could make it so easy for him. Max gently touches her face and feels the moisture that was on his body against her skin. She struggles to make certain her increased breathing is still silent in the darkness as she watches Logan strain. It's almost like a reverse striptease, she thinks as her hands absently wonder down her body.

As Logan puts on his last shoe and begins to transfer back into his chair, Max puts on a burst of speed and dashes out to the living room to light a few candles. Logan enters as she finishes lighting the 5th candle.

"You OK?" Max asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Logan replies as he notices her eyes glowing faintly in the darkness and begins to wonder about her how good her night vision was.

'Oh, yeah,' thinks Max with one of her most dazzling smiles thinking about how good the vision she had seen that night was.

The just stood there for a moment, staring at the other and thinking about the others anatomy, each for their own reasons of course.

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Not sure I should continued this one or not. What do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

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Little something from DA Reflections board.

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"So, what's for dinner?" Max asked, trying to get her mind off his body. 

"Beef," Logan replied, the answer inadequate because his mind really isn't on dinner. He was remembering the feel of Max's hands on his body. He had assumed that she was just trying to locate him, but now he wasn't so sure. Did she really want to be touching him? What would that mean? Logan shook his head to try and clear _those_ thoughts out of it. She _couldn't want him, right_? "London Broil, new potatoes, and …I picked up some cheese."

"Cool," Max replied, wondering what was wrong with Logan. He had served Brie or Brousault or Havarti or Camembert, but never just 'cheese.'

"The brown out has me a little behind schedule. Want to set the table?"

"Sure." Logan watched as she strolled into the kitchen and, with absolutely no light source that he could see, unerringly gathered plates, silverware and glasses.

Dinner passed quietly. Both Max and Logan were fairly involved in their own thoughts. Max complemented the mystery cheese three times; neither quite registering the repetition. After dinner Logan sent Max to retrieve the apple crisp from the oven where it was staying warm.

Eventually Logan decided, humiliation or not, he had to know. He called to Max in the kitchen. "Max, there is a bottle of 2004 Shea Wine Cellars Homer Pinot Noir on the wine rack, could you grab it?"

"Sure," Max replied without thinking. Well, without thinking of anything except Logan's body, she walked to the wine rack and after checking several bottles found the vintage Logan had requested. "Pre-Pulse, nice." She was smiling as she returned, expecting Logan to be pleased, and slightly puzzled when he obviously was not.

"Max, exactly how good is your night vision?"

Max paused. She knew what he really wanted to know, and the best way to avoid giving him the answer he wanted (or more likely didn't want) was to give him exactly the answer he asked for. "0.0000345 Lux," Max replied then set the wine on the table and walked into the kitchen to retrieve the corkscrew.

"What?"

"0.0000345 Lux," Max repeated, confident that she could outlast him on this. After all **he **was going to need to sleep. She shook her head to get the Logan/bed association out of it. Damn, she shouldn't be in heat for another month!

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"That is the minimum level of light that I need to function. Lux is the metric unit of measure for luminosity. I think it's about 0.0929 footcandles. At least last time Manticore measured. It was a while ago." Max frowns and looks down at her shoes.

Logan feels guilty about making Max relive unpleasant memories. He doesn't even want to know how Manticore would test something like that. He had an awful feeling it did not involve taking the children's word for what they saw. He was right. Still, once committed to a course of action, Logan Cale saw it through, nothing would distract him. He was going to have to ask her directly, embarrassment be damned. "Max, could you see me in the bathroom?"

Max sighed, and took her best shot at avoiding the question. "If you're asking if I could tell you had fallen flat on your …well, flat. Yeah, I could see that much. I wasn't going to mention it. I know how you hate to ever need anyone, which is weird considering how much, how many people need you. I know it's like you're …embarrassed by the fact you need the chair at all, and you can't do the things you used to. Which I never really got either …"

"Max," Logan attempted to interrupt.

Max didn't want to let him get a word in edgewise until she had led the subject far, far away, so she pressed on regardless. "It's not your fault you were shot. You were trying to do what you felt, what you knew was the right thing. In a way, it's way more my fault than yours. You asked me to help, but I was too afraid of being caught. I was too selfish. I …I didn't care about anyone but myself back then. Back at Manticore, they drilled in pretty hard that you cared about your unit. Those outside the unit, and outside the mission, didn't matter. They were expendable. I didn't have a mission, other than not getting caught. I haven't seen my unit in a decade. A decade, all alone, not caring about anyone else. Kind of got to be a habit, y'know?"

"Max," Logan attempted to interrupt again.

"Here are all these people, ordinary humans, and they just take for granted that everyone around them is human too. And I'm not. Almost, but …I'm not. I would wish that I was, but what good would that do. I'm not. I didn't really start to relate to them, like I was a person too, until …well, until you. You're the first person that knew what I was, and treated me like a person anyway. Not like a lab rat or a weapon, like a person. I know I never explained this but I think that you treating me like a person has helped me see myself as a person. Maybe not exactly an ordinary person, but a person."

"Max!" Logan attempted to interrupt again.

"I never told you, but I am sorry that I didn't agree to help you. As far as my training was concerned, it was, tactically, exactly the right decision. But, it was wrong. I'm sorry. I want you to know that if I could change one decision I made, I would have been there by your side that day. I **never** thought of you as anything but a great man Logan." Max looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Could you see me naked?" Logan asked staring directly into her eyes.

Max couldn't read his expression, but cursed the infamous male one-track mind several creative ways and then tried a different tactic. After all, she was good at tactics. "Kind of, yeah, so?" she asked nonchalantly.

"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Logan was clearly unhappy.

Max offered him the best out she could think of. "I can't see colors at all when it's that dark. As dark as it was, I can make out general outlines and shapes and kind of this odd heat signature like thing." If _that_ didn't distract him, nothing would.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you would want to know," she quickly threw in.

"For that matter why didn't you give me a towel, or look away?"

"Why?" OK, so maybe nothing would distract him. That didn't mean Max was going to stop trying.

That threw him. "What do you mean why?"

"OK. I guess I can ask you without raising any suspicion. You already know that I was basically born into the military. I figured out, really quickly, that there is a nudity taboo, but why?"

Logan just stared at her.

"But, apparently it's kind of OK for women to see women but not men to see women. I mean, what is up with that?" Max ruthlessly suppressed the smile on her face at successfully distracting the unremitting Logan Cale and stared at him innocently.

Logan Cale, man of letters, sat there, stunned completely speechless.

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To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

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Logan Cale, man of letters, sat there, stunned completely speechless for a very long time. Eventually Max waved a hand in front of his face to make sure that he was OK. He closed his previously agape jaw and glared at her.

"You don't know either!" she accused. The best defense was a good offense.

"What?"

"You don't know either. You just go along with it because it's always been that way and everyone else accepts it. Like professional men should have short hair. Or pancakes are a breakfast food, but not lunch or dinner. Or bottled water is better than tap." Max continued on.

"I get the idea!" Logan snapped. "But in this case there are several perfectly valid justifications for them."

"Which it took you," Max makes a show of glancing at her watch, "seven minutes to think of."

"I know the reasons. I just don't know how to explain it to you."

"If you can't explain it; then you don't really understand it."

"I'm just not sure of how to explain it in terms that you would understand!"

"I'll have you know I understand a great deal. Feel free to use big words. I have a pretty good understanding of physics, biology, mathematics, tactics…"

"Well this would be psychology!"

"All in your head! I knew it! You don't have a solid reason!"

"I do too"

"Not if you have to resort to psychology! They have theories and hypotheses, not solid facts."

"Do you want to hear them or not?" Logan asked, fairly irritated by now.

"Sure, go right ahead."

Logan took a deep breath then proceeded. "It was embarrassing, in my case in particular, humiliating. Max, my …half, a little over half of my body is …practically dead. It's …well, you saw, it's atrophying. I don't like having to deal with it and, well you saw it." Logan took another deep breath, determined to somehow plow on.

Max wasn't about to let him continue to wallow in this self-pity. "I wasn't going to bring that up, Logan. You are the one that insisted on talking about it. Look, nobody gets embarrassed about being naked in front of the cat. Just think of me as your cat burglar."

"I don't think of you as **just** my cat burglar, Max. You are a woman… a very beautiful woman but ..." Logan looked even more pained.

"Oh, really?" Max purred and knelt down at Logan's feet.

"Max!" Logan nearly shouted. He was clearly alarmed by this turn of events. "You obviously wouldn't understand."

Max looked miffed. "I guess not."

"Max, I know you didn't mean any harm but …still …" Logan couldn't or wouldn't say it, but Max could tell, he was hurt. Something had triggered all his demons, his insecurities. Max knew that it was about his injury, but she didn't know what to do about it. Soothing hurt feelings was not anything Manticore ever taught and she doubted Logan would appreciate hearing about how emotions were merely a weakness to be overcome. Max was still trying to decide how to comfort Logan when he found his voice. "I've got some work to do. I'll see you later."

Feeling very dismissed and immaterial, Max left without another word. She didn't go very far. The view from the top of Fogle Towers wasn't nearly what it was from the top of the space needle, but it would have to do. Especially considering she didn't dare drive home in her condition; not until the streets were a bit more deserted, say 4 am. The only problem was that she could still hear Logan. Typing, sighing, and cleaning up from dinner. She had definitely started heat. She couldn't believe she had practically crawled into Logan's lap after he said she was beautiful! She was going to have to apologize; after she was done with her heat. The only question that she had to contemplate was; how was she going to explain?

Max was fairly deep in introspection when she thought she heard Logan swear. It wasn't much, but it was so out of character she was instantly concerned. There wasn't a crash; she didn't think that anyone else could have gotten into the penthouse. They hadn't come through the roof. She didn't think she had heard the elevator or the front door for that matter, but she wasn't going risk Logan's well being for anything.

The penthouse was dark. He had obviously gone to bed as she was sulking. She would just go in, make sure he was safe, then go back up on the roof to sulk for another three hours until the streets were deserted enough to get home alone. She dropped through the skylight, closing it after her this time.

"Max." It was Logan's voice, but soft and sorrowful. She wasn't sure if he was calling for help but she dashed towards the sound only to find Logan alone in his bed. This was **not** what she needed right now. If she wasn't very careful Logan would need rescue from her, not by her. She had almost convinced herself that she imagined the whole thing when she heard it again. "Max."

"What?" she replied.

Logan jumped and let out a strangled sound that wasn't quite a yelp, but it wasn't too far from one either. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you call me, so I came back. Are you OK?"

"Yes."

When he didn't elaborate even after Max tilted her head and arched an eyebrow at him she broke down and asked. "Why did you call me?"

"I didn't."

"OK, why did you say my name?"

"I was just thinking out loud."

"About me? In your bed?" That sounded so wrong. Intellectually, Max knew that she needed to get out of here. Physically, she so wanted to get in there with Logan. Emotionally, she didn't want to blow the best relationship she had ever had and it was fairly obvious that he had no interest in doing anything more with her than dinner, chess and a few felonies. Granted with his injury there probably wasn't a lot more they could do, but he didn't seem interested in even exploring any of it… at least not with her anyway.

"I'm sorry?" Logan could not believe he heard that. Max looked so … anxious and sad.

"I'm sorry, too. I'll go."

"Max! Wait." Logan lifted himself up to try and get a good look at Max. "What's wrong?"

Max let out a deep sigh. Now would be a good time to explain. _Gee, Logan, you have a female feline in heat a few inches from your mostly naked, incredibly sexy body and you are one wrong moan away from getting pounced on and me finding out for myself what still works because you won't talk to me about anything you feel or want._ Yeah, she could just imagine his reaction to **that** one. Better wait until she was under control, in a day or four. Damit!

"Max, I'm sorry I got upset at you earlier. I overreacted because … well, because …"

"It's not that."

"Then, what?"

"I'm a freak!" Max blurted out before she could think to censor it.

"Max, you are not a freak."

"Yes, yes, I am. I am some_thing_ that escaped from a lab! I …" Max breaks off.

"Max. It doesn't matter where you came from. Not to me. Nothing you could say is going to make me think any differently." Logan reached out to try and comfort Max.

"I think I'm in heat." Max blurts out. If Logan does touch her … but as expected that froze Logan in his tracks.

"What?"

"Heat! Like any other bitch!" Max choked out, then blurs away.

"Max!" Logan called out after her. He was afraid for a moment that she had darted out of his life forever, and he couldn't even run after her. He had just transferred into his wheelchair to go try and call her back, when he heard the shower running in the main bathroom. He pushed himself into the other bathroom. "Max?" Her clothes are on the floor and he could see the silhouette of her incredibly sensuous, perfect body in the shower.

"I'm sorry. I think I am in heat. That's why I didn't go home. I didn't want to be out on the street like this. I have no judgment. I'm sorry. I was going to stay on your roof until about 4am when the streets are deserted then sneak home. I heard you call out. I though you might be in danger. Not that I can really think clearly right now. I'm sorry."

Logan was stunned both by her words and her presence, or he would never have tolerated her self-depreciating monologue for as long as he did. Eventually his voice started working again. "Max. Stop. You have done nothing you need to be sorry for …"

"Yes, I did. My judgment is shot, and I didn't realize it at the time, but I hurt you. I'd never do that on purpose Logan. You know that don't you?" Max sounded so sorrowful.

"Yes, Max. I know."

"If you want, we can be even now." Max opened the shower door so that Logan could get a good look.

Logan swallowed. The water was obviously frigid. She was as perfect as he had imagined.

"So, does this make us even now?"

He took a deep breath and decided on a course of action. After all, he laughed to himself, wasn't one of his major issues the fact that she was perfectly safe with him. "Max, turn off the water. You're going to catch cold." He took a towel from the rack.

"No, I am not. I survived five minutes under ice, then ran another couple miles barefoot in the snow. I'll …survive."

"I don't want you to just survive Max. There is more to life than that. Come here." Logan held the towel open.

Max turned off the water and slowly went to Logan's arms. She curled up on his lap and he wrapped the towel around her. He took another towel and ran it over her body, trying to warm her. "Logan?" Max asked. "What do you want?"

A short, bitter laugh escaped Logan. "What I can't have."

Max makes a soft mewing sound. She arches her body in the most obvious and primordial way offering herself to Logan. "Logan, yes …anything you want."

He takes Max's face in his hands and forces her to look into his eyes. "What I can't, Max. You're safe with me." He tries to smile for her.

"Maybe …" Max starts, but Logan interrupts her.

"Later, we'll talk. Right now, just know that you are perfectly safe with me."

"I've always known I'm safe with you Logan. I just…"

"It'll be ok." Logan soothed as he ran his hands over Max, drying her off.

"I'm sorry." Max looked so lost.

"Shh! It's OK." Logan dried off Max. He felt guilty for enjoying this while Max was so obviously upset and miserable and vulnerable but he knew he'd never have another chance to run his hands over her nude body, so he paid very close attention to what he was doing. "Max, it's OK." Eventually, with Max dry and snuggled into his bare chest, Logan asks, "What do you want?"

"You," Max replies simply without hesitation.

"I can't …" Logan starts to reply, obviously pained.

"Logan!" Max interrupts him. She knows her judgment is shot, but she cannot help the words that come out in a rush. "I just want to be with you. I know you have a spinal cord injury, and I know what that likely means. I am not asking for anything you can't give. I just …I don't want to be alone. I'm tired of having my seizures on the floor of an abandoned building with no one to know or care if I survive and I don't like the thought of you sprawled out on the floor alone because you fell over or had a muscle spasm and no one there and no idea when anyone is going to be there. We don't have to be alone; we could have each other." When Max finally looked at Logan he had such a shocked look on his face that she just buried her head back into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. My judgment is shot right now. I'll be normal again in a few days. I'll go."

The instant she says that she feels Logan's arms tighten around her. "No."

"No?" Despite all her fears and doubts Max can't help but smile; this feels soooo good.

"You're not going anywhere in your …condition." Logan held on to her as if his life depended upon it. Max nuzzled into his neck and let out a contented sigh. "Max?"

"Hm?"

"How do you know about spinal cord injuries?"

"Library. Internet. Stuff like that." Max replied very nonchalantly while running a hand over Logan's bare arms.

Logan wondered what 'stuff like that' entailed briefly. "Checking up on me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Max hesitated before she answered. "I care about you."

"Max, what do you want to happen?"

"I want to make it through this rotten, miserable time without screwing up the best friendship I've ever had. Logan." She looked at him so imploringly.

"Me?"

"Oh for Pete's sake, who else?" Max snapped then covered her mouth with both hands in a gesture that simply amused Logan. "I'm sorry!"

"Shh. It's OK. You're not going to screw this up because of something like this that you cannot control, Max. I promise. It'll be OK. How long does this last?"

"Usually a couple of days, but they are getting worse."

"Hold on."

"Gladly," Max purred.

Logan wheeled them both into his bedroom. Max couldn't help but get excited. She knew that there were some things that Logan probably couldn't do anymore, but there were so many things that he could. He reached into the bottom drawer of his nightstand and took out a large bottle. He opened it and poured out two pills. "Here. They keep giving me a ton of these, but I never take them because they make me sleep."

"I should have known." Max said as she obediently took the pills and swallowed them. She had lots of practice taking pills without water. Lots of practice doing without period, she thought sadly.

"Yes, you should have. Because I don't want to risk blowing this either Max. Lay down, go to sleep."

Max made a soft sound and reluctantly left Logan's warm embrace. The towels slid from her body are as she crawled into Logan's bed. Logan stifled a groan as he got a really good look as she moved slowly into his bed. She looked so sensual and enticing.

"You're not going to be mad at me?" She sounded so young and vulnerable to Logan.

"I'm not mad at you." Logan said as he reached out and stroked her hair. Logan reluctantly covered her up and stayed with her until she drifted off, then pulled on a sweatshirt and went to his computers to do some research.

To be continued ….


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Net worth is still a negative number. Nothing to sue here people, move along.

_Author's note: I rather arbitrarily decided this takes place before Pollo Loco._

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Max awoke when the door bell rang.

"Hey. Thanks for coming by on such short notice," Logan said.

"Always happy to help. Although I must admit, I cannot imagine what you would need any of this for," said an unidentified female voice. Max immediately got out of bed. She was about to charge out there and confront this unidentified threat when she realized she left her clothes in the other bathroom.

"It's a very long story. To be blunt, I'm not really sure how much I can tell you. I don't really understand it myself."

"You're going to have to give me as much information as you can if I'm going to make any sort of diagnosis," said the unidentified female. Max wrapped a blanket around herself and blurred to the other bathroom.

"You'd better sit down. It goes without saying that this must remain completely confidential. Right?"

"Of course," said the unidentified female that was out there talking to Logan. Max never dressed so fast in her life. She left the bathroom to go and defend her territory, um, she meant Logan.

"How much do you know about recombinant DNA?" Logan asked.

"Not much. It's all highly theoretical." The woman sat on the sofa. She looked quizzically at Logan then slowly became alarmed as she watched Logan search for the right words. "Isn't it?"

Logan shook his head. Dr Shankar's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Max stalked into the room unnoticed. Eventually, Dr Shankar regained her composure. "I'd heard some pretty wild rumors but … you think someone is actually conducting experiments with human DNA?" It seemed far-fetched to Dr Shankar, but why else would she have been called?

"Yes. A covert government agency. Trying to create an advanced infantry soldier, a better warrior. They decided to start from scratch, manipulating DNA to create custom-made people. "

"What do you know? Do you have any proof?" asked Dr. Shankar.

"You could say that," Max said. Both Dr Shankar and Logan jumped.

"Dr. Shankar, this is Max. Max, this is Dr. Shankar. She's the medical examiner. She has been helping me, and Eyes Only, for years. You can trust her."

Max decided not to comment on the irony (?) of Logan telling her that she could trust Dr. Shankar with her big secret, when she obviously didn't know his. "I guess," Max said then she went to sit between Logan and this Dr. Shankar.

"So, what proof do you have?" asked Dr. Shankar.

Max laughed softly. "That would be … me."

"You're? But you're?"

"I know. I don't look like much of a soldier. What were they thinking?" Max made an exasperated gesture. "I was supposed to be this revved up girl. I'm … a mess." Max let out a bitter laugh and looked down. Logan reached out a hand to comfort her. The instant he actually touched her she pounced! It was only an instant; she stopped herself an inch from Logan's lips. Logan gasped and then Max dropped laying her head on his lap. "I'm … sorry," Max said quietly.

"What's wrong?" asked Dr. Shankar.

"Too much feline DNA in my cocktail. I'm in heat." Max sounded so lost. Logan hesitantly placed his hands on her and began to gently stroke her hair, hoping to sooth somehow.

Dr Shankar opened up her bag. "Oh. How do you know feline? A lot of species have extreme estrus cycles; humans, not having a noticeable one, are the exception."

Max purred.

Dr Shankar got over her shock relatively quickly. "Ok. I brought the veterinary reference, let's see which of these are feline safe."

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Max slept most of the next three days. Even when she was up, she was kind of subdued due to the cocktail that Dr Shankar gave her. Dr. Shankar was optimistic about using some variation of birth control pills to regulate her cycles, but it would take some experimentation to find out what dosage was required, and when. She had taken a blood sample to analyze, and was going to take another when Max was back to normal. Maybe they could whip up a cure for this after all.

Dr. Shankar gladly wrote Max a note describing the very scary feline fever that she had; then wrote another that she could actually give to Normal.

For once Max made it through her heat without being completely miserable or doing something she regretted.

By morning of the fourth day Max felt back her old self. She thanked Logan, promised to come by for dinner, and went home.

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Logan buried himself in his work. He didn't think Max was mad at him for anything he had done, although he did remember he'd confessed a desire for her, and a complete lack of the ability to do anything about it. Was she going to be too embarrassed to be around him now? As usual the only thing that gave him solace was throwing himself into Eyes Only. He was able to lose track of everything, his embarrassment, Max's potential embarrassment, Max's bare ass, and the time.

"Hey! You forget you invited me for dinner?" Max asked from in behind him.

Logan jumped. "No, I completely lost track of the time." He turned around to look at her. She was smiling at him. Logan was relieved that she wasn't mad; he smiled back at her.

"Can the downtrodden spare you for a few?" Max teased.

"I think so. I'll go get started on dinner."

"Cool." Max gave him her best smile and followed him to his kitchen. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she dared to ask.

She could see Logan stiffen, so she quickly added, "I know you don't **need** help. Usually everything is done before I get here, but …y'know I got nothing else to do. Assuming you trust me not to poison anything…or incinerate things." Logan just looked at her. "How much could I screw things up with your supervision?" She tried cajoling him; it worked.

He smiled and pointed. "There's a pot in under there."

Max smiled and helped him make dinner. Once dinner was in the oven Logan turned to Max. "So," he said. She laughed. He grinned and continued, "Dinner will be ready in about thirty five minutes."

"So," Max began teasingly. "I'm sorry about my behavior. I hurt you and I'm sorry."

"You didn't hurt me." Loganwas puzzled.

"You seemed pretty upset. When I … saw that you fell."

"It wasn't the fallen part." Max just stared at him. He let out a sigh and continued, "It wasn't just the fallen part. I'm not happy with the way …half of me looks so …it's embarrassing."

"No offence Logan, but I think my embarrassing beats your embarrassing on this one, but that's my fault."

"It is **not** your fault!" Logan insisted. "Max, you couldn't help what they did to you."

Max raised an eyebrow at him.

"And I'm working on that too." Logan realized that the main cause of his embarrassment was what they did to him.

"Anyway, I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you. My judgment was shot."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, or ashamed of. I know who you are, Max. You said some things you didn't mean." Logan tried to smile and put everything behind him.

Max frowned. "No. Actually, I didn't. I just said things I wouldn't have _admitted_. I mean, I know about your injury and what it has likely done to your … physical capabilities. I don't know what all that does to your sex _drive,_ which is a psychological phenomenon, but I never would have thought that you would be even remotely interested in a …closer relationship with … well, a freak that escaped from a lab."

Logan had been shocked speechless, again. It was the only reason she got to finish. He got over it. "Max, come here," Logan implored as he opened his arms to indicate she should come very close indeed. She gladly crawled into his lap and buried her head in his shoulder. He embraced her and stroked her hair. "I can't," he finally said softly. "Max, I don't know what you want."

Max took his face in her hands and kissed him. "I want you, Logan Cale."

"I'm broken."

"I'm flawed. We don't have to be alone!" Max implored. "I don't want either one of us to be alone. I …Logan." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and it was more than Logan could take. He nodded and embraced her. They sat there, holding each other, taking comfort from the mere touch of the other.

Eventually, Logan spoke. "So you've done research on spinal cord injuries?"

"Yes."

"So you know …?"

Max nodded. "Now that you've let Dr. Shankar in on my little secret, she can help figure out how to stop your body from rejecting my pluripotents. Or we could find another transgenic more like you or … something." Max had some ideas. "But for now, you keep saying that you _can't_, but you haven't told me what you _want_." Max bit at her lip nervously as she awaited his answer, on which so much depended.

"I want you but," Logan said sadly.

"You know there are _some_ things that we could do …for now ... together. If you want to," Max offered nervously.

Logan kissed her. "You won't mind that …?" Logan was too embarrassed to continue.

"Logan, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. I know. Everything I want is right here. I just want to be with you."

Logan finally smiled. "There are a few things I could do." Logan hesitantly placed his hand on Max. He slowly slid his hand up her smooth stomach towards her breast, all the while watching her for approval.

She smiled. "Feel freely," she purred.

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The End ... of **this **story.


End file.
